Supporting device for cameras



July 8, 1958 R. M. REESE ET AL 2,842,026

SUPPORTING DEVICE FOR CAMERAS Filed May 28, 1956 4 INVENTOR.

RICHARD M. REESE IV J. ANDERSON A Homev 'ijnte States Patent SUPPORTING DEVICE FOR CAMERAS Richard M. Reese, Madison, and Ivar J. Anderson, Blooming Grove, Wis, assignors to Bjorksten Research Laboratories, inc, Fitchburg, Wis., a corporation of Illinois I Application May 28, 1956, Serial No. 587,577

3 Claims. (Cl. 88-24) This invention relates to a supporting device for cameras and more particularly in a dual-purpose copy table adapted to support cameras in both horizontal and vertical positions.

Photographic laboratories often find that they are required to photographically copy drawings, blue-prints and the like which are preferably supported in a vertical plane and also to copy or make pictures of drawings, painting or solid objects such as models, pieces of mineral, and the like which are best supported on a horizontal surface. They are often required to take pictures or make copies in vertical and horizontal positions in rapid sequence due to urgent demands for the results of their work and often must provide means for such alternate vertical and horizontal copying or photographing, either macro-photographing or micro-photographing, in a minimum of space as well as in a minimum of time.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a device for alternatively photographing or copying material supported on a vertical or horizontal surface which occupies a minimum of space and with which changes from one position to another can be made in a minimum of time.

Further objects will become apparent from the drawing and the following detailed description, in which it is our intention to illustrate the applicability of the invention Without thereby limiting its scope to less than that of all those equivalents which will be apparent to one skilled in the art.

In the drawings like reference numerals refer to like parts and:

Figure 1 is an elevation of the device disposed for copying or photographing material supported on a vertical surface;

Figure 2 is an elevation of the device disposed in position for photographing or copying material disposed on a horizontal surface;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the device taken on lines 3-3 in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a partially cut-away elevation of a portion of the device disposed as in Figure 2 and somewhat enlarged, attached to a microscope.

As shown in the drawings, a fiatboard member having the form of a table top 10, which may be, for example, made of plywood, may be hinged to wall 12 by hinges attached to member 9 which may in turn be attached to wall 12. Material to be copied, such as for example blue-print 13, may be supported on wall 12. Table top 10 may be provided with two angle iron rails 14 and 15 screwed or otherwise attached to the upper surface thereof. A wooden box 16, which may be somewhat pyramidal in form, as shown, may be provided on the bottom surface with four grooved members 17 adapted to slide on rails 14 and 15. Each of members 17 may be provided with a thumb-screw 18. A camera 19 may be mounted on top of boX 16 by means of tripod head Ztl or other hingeable tigbtenable device. The end of table top it) most remote from wall 12 may have leg member 21 attached thereto by hinges 2'2 and leg member 21 may contact with floor 23 and thereby support said outer end. On the underside of table top 1i) there may be provided two steel rods 26 and 27 which may be, for example, inch in diameter which are attached to table top 10 and spaced somewhat away therefrom. Disposed against wall 12 there may be provided a table 3:; having a horizontal top 31.

Mounted on rods 26 and 27 there may be provided a slider 33 which may consist of a block of wood or several blocks of wood fastened together. Slider 33 may be provided with metal members 34 projecting therefrom. Each of metal members 34 may be provided with a hole therein through which rod 26 or 27 may pass and may be provided with a thumb-screw 35. Thus when thumb-screws 35 are loosened slider 34 will slide on rods 26 and 27 and may be fastened in any desired position by tightening thumb-screw 35. Rigid supporting means 36 may be attached to slider 33 to hold camera 37 or camera 37 may be attached thereto by means of tightenable hingeable means such as a tripod head, if desired.

In order to photograph a piece of mineral 38 it may be supported, for example, on a block of wood or other base 39 covered with black velvet, which may in turn be supported on table top 31. A camera 37 may then be attached to slider 33 as shown in Figure 2. The table top then may be hingeably folded against the wall 12 where it may be held in place by latch 46 and a photograph may then be taken of object 38.

In order to then copy such as blue-print 13 which may be disposed vertically on wall 12, latch as may be re teased by pulling downward on string 41; the device may then be folded downward until table-top 15) is disposed in a horizontal position, as shown in Figure 1 whereupon its outer end is supported by leg member 21. Box 16 may then be set in place on rails 14 and 15. Camera 19 may then be attached thereto. Box 16 may be slid along rails 14 and 15 until the camera is approximately in focus and may then be locked at such position by tightening thumb-screws 18. Focusing may be completed by making adjustment within the camera in the usual manner and a photograph of blue-print 13 may then be taken by opening the shutter of the camera.

When it is desired to make a photograph of a specimen supported on a microscope slide 45, the device may be arranged as shown in Figure 2 and the lens may be removed from the shutter plate 46 of camera 37. A metal tube 50, having an outside diameter substantially equal to the inside diameter of lens holding threads 49, may be slideably inserted into shutter plate 46, in place of the absent lens and thereby frictionally held in place. The lower end of tube 50 may suitably be provided with rolled threads 51. A metal cap 52, with matching threads 53, provided with a felt liner 54 and a large hole therein may be inserted over the objective tube 55 of microscope 56, and then threadably attached to tube 50, as shown in Figure 4. Self winder 54 serves to prevent entry of light into the interior of tube 50. A small object to be photographed may then be placed on microscope slide 45 which may then be placed upon the stage of microscope 56.

After focusing the microscope a picture thereof may be made by operating shutter release knob 48, to open shutter 49.

Having disclosed our invention we claim:

1. A camera supporting device comprising in com bination a fiat table member having one end attached hingeably to a wall, a leg member hingeably attached to the other end of said table member, rails rigidly attached to the upper surface of said table member, camera supporting means slidably engaging said rails, tlmeade means disposed in said camera supporting means adapted to frictionally engage said rails and prevent movement of said supporting means with respect thereto, a camera supported by said supporting means, latch means attached to said Wall adapted to engage said other end of said table member to thereby maintain said table memher in substantially a vertical plane adjacent said Wall, two metal rods attached to the underside of said table member and spaced apart therefrom and parallel thereto, camera supporting means slidably attached to said rod, threaded means in said supporting means frictionally engageable with said rods to prevent sliding movement of said supporting means with respect to said rods, and a second horizontal table member disposed horizontally adjacent said Wall.

2. A camera supporting device comprising in combination a flat table member having one end attached hingeably to a wall, a leg member hingeably attached to the other end of said table member, rails rigidly attached to the upper surface of said table member, latch means attached to said wall adapted to engaged said other end of said table member to thereby maintain said table member in substantially a vertical plane adjacent said Wall, two metal rods attached to the underside of said table member and spaced apart therefrom and parallel thereto, camera supporting means slidably attached to said red, threaded means in said supporting means frictionally engageable with said rods to prevent sliding movement of said supporting means with respect to said rods and a second horizontal table member disposed horizontally adjacent said wall, a camera supported by said supporting means.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein a microscope is supported on said second table surface, a metal tube is frictionally engaged With the internal diameter of the lens supporting threads in the shutter plate of said camera, a metal cap member having a felt liner is threadably engaged with the lower end' of said tube and provided with a hole therein; the objective tube of said microscope extending through said hole and engaging said felt liner.

No references cited. 

